ABOUT THE FOUNDATION CENTER
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. the Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. thousands of people visit the Center’s web site each day and are served in its five regional library/ learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620–4230.

the foundation should initiate a grantmaking strategy explicitly focusing on black males, many leaders and organizations and the communities they serve across the country are grateful today that it launched the Campaign for Black Male Achievement in 2008. A former Open Society U.S. Programs board member, Lani Guinier, championed the Campaign and has long argued that black males are America’s “canaries in the mine,” meaning that the conditions black men and boys face are a barometer of what Americans as a nation are facing. we do not want a future America where all of our families, regardless of race, suffer high rates of incarceration, homicide, high school dropout, and unemployment. this is why philanthropic investments in strategies to address the myriad challenges confronting black males will help “to lift all boats” for underserved, vulnerable, and marginalized people, ensuring a brighter, stronger, and more equal and open society for us all. the work of the Campaign and the efforts of philanthropic partners and leaders from the policy advocacy, practitioner, and research sectors have expanded upon earlier work of funders like the Ford Foundation and the 21st Century Foundation to establish the emerging field of promoting black male achievement. work in this field is fueled by a broad and diverse sector of organizations that are tackling a seemingly intractable problem with a combined direct services and policy change approach. the spirit of Dr. King’s “fierce urgency of now” declaration prompted the Campaign for Black Male Achievement to commission the Foundation Center to research and assess the current state of philanthropic investments that specifically respond to the crisis facing black men and boys in America. this report describes recent philanthropic investments and innovations in the field of black male achievement. It is intended to inspire more dialogue, exploration, and ultimately investment in the field of black male achievement that will contribute to lasting
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change. there has been progress in recent years, much of it championed by people of color in leadership positions within the philanthropic sector. But the sector itself is only slowly becoming more diverse and inclusive and organizations working on this issue still receive only a paltry slice of the overall philanthropic pie, one that is clearly not enough to respond adequately to the enormity of the challenge. the philanthropic community must move toward an equal focus on the field’s investment narrative and impact narrative. we must reach a place where we can replicate proven and effective strategies. with this in mind, I offer the following recommendations to help philanthropy work better to expand and to sustain the field of black male achievement. • Build the Brand of Black male Achievement: Invest in strategic communications to keep the challenges and opportunities facing black men and boys at the center of the public policy and philanthropic discourse and to reframe how black men and boys are portrayed in the media. • Increase Public/Private Partnerships: Perhaps philanthropy’s most meaningful role can be as a catalyst for leveraging innovative collaboration between the public and private sectors, such as the partnership between George Soros and Mayor Michael Bloomberg in launching the New York City Young Men’s Initiative. • Invest in Leadership development & Organizational Sustainability: the work that is required to improve the conditions of black men and boys in the United States requires more well-equipped leaders and more robust and durable organizations.

• measure Impact & Promote what Is working: Philanthropy should motivate organizations to have greater positive impact in making a difference in the lives of black men and boys, and this impact should be measured by rigorous performance indicators and evaluation. • Sustain the work: Eliminating inequities preventing black men and boys from realizing their full potential requires a generational – meaning: long-term – commitment and approach. In fact, what is needed is an endowed philanthropic social enterprise – something like a Corporation for Black Male Achievement – to make the generational commitment that this issue requires and deserves. It is our hope that this report will encourage philanthropic organizations to dig deeper in their commitments to investing in black male achievement and parlay the foundational work of previous initiatives, such as the African American Men and Boys Initiative (AAMBI) led by Dr. Bobby Austin 20 years ago at the w.K. Kellogg Foundation. the AAMBI initiative lasted from 1992 through 2001 with the mission to “repair the breach between African-American men and boys and the rest of U.S. society by establishing a long-term social infrastructure to engage African-American men and boys as active participants in civil society.” It is our intention to complete the work of repairing the breach between black men and boys and the rest of America. we invite you to examine the data in this report, read the stories, and share with us your ideas that can help answer the question: where do we go from here?

ExECUTIvE SUMMARy
NEARLy EvERy MAjOR INDICATOR OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND pHySICAL WELLBEING SHOWS THAT BLACK MEN AND BOyS IN THE U.S. DO NOT HAvE ACCESS TO THE STRUCTURAL SUppORTS AND OppORTUNITIES NEEDED TO THRIvE.
this results in negative consequences not only for black males themselves, but also for the larger well-being of society. Several prominent foundations have sponsored initiatives supporting black men and boys over the past two decades, and funding in this area has risen modestly in recent years. In 2011, George Soros and Michael Bloomberg brought a new wave of visibility by committing $30 million each to a New York City initiative designed to improve the life outcomes of men of color. It is within this context that the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement commissioned this report, which examines U.S. foundation giving explicitly in support of black males by issue area, type of support, and geographic area served. the analyses explore patterns of giving by larger U.S. foundations over the past eight years, with a focus on giving from 2008 to 2010. Key findings include: • Foundation funding explicitly designated to benefit black men and boys held steady in recent years, rising modestly from $22 million in 2008 to nearly $29 million in 2010. • Education was the top priority of grants explicitly designated to support black men and boys, receiving 40 percent of grant dollars. • Most foundation dollars explicitly targeting black men and boys provided program support (87 percent). • Recipient organizations in the South received the largest share (32 percent) of foundation dollars explicitly intended to benefit black males. the Northeast received 30 percent of funding. the numbers provide important baseline and descriptive data, but they are only part of the story. Just as importantly, this report shows myriad creative ways that foundations are working in their communities to address structural barriers and improve life outcomes for black men and boys. In Detroit, the Skillman Foundation deliberately chose not to create a specialized initiative. Rather, they make sure that a focus on black boys is embedded in all of their direct service grants. In Los Angeles, the California Community Foundation launched the only major philanthropic initiative focused on black male youth involved in the delinquency system. And in Pittsburgh, the Heinz Endowments helps to implement innovative programs regionally with an eye towards identifying promising initiatives that can be scaled nationally. Although individual strategies may differ, foundations share commonalities. they all maintain an assets-based approach, viewing black men and boys as vital contributors to communities. Many incorporate a communications agenda to reshape public perception of black males. they are building capacity and providing technical assistance to local organizations, and they place a high value on evidence-based practice. we hope this report sparks dialogue within philanthropy about the current state of foundation support for black males and ways to leverage future investments.
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report, which examines U.S. foundation giving explicitly in support of black men and boys (for more information about explicit giving, see p. 17). this report, the most comprehensive and detailed to date, analyzes the Foundation Center’s grantmaking data from 2008 through 2010 and breaks down giving explicitly designated for black men and boys by issue area, geographic region, and type of support. 2 the numbers provide important baseline and descriptive data, but they are only part of the story. Just as importantly, this report shows myriad creative ways in which foundations are working in their communities to improve life outcomes for black men and boys. On the following pages, you will find these initiatives described in the context of national funding patterns. we hope the data and stories shared in this report spark dialogue within philanthropy about the current state of foundation support for black men and boys and ways to leverage future investments.

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“the growing re-segregation, incarceration and miseducation of Black children and youth threaten to undo the hard earned racial and social progress of the Civil Rights Movement, disempower the Black community and usher in a second Post-Reconstruction Era. All Americans have a vital stake in moving forward rather than backwards. History teaches if racial apartheid happened before, it can happen again unless we are vigilant and address now the huge disparities Black and other poor children of color face.” -Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children’s Defense Fund

PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT fOR BLACk meN ANd BOYS

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Photo: California Community Foundation

EDUCATION
GRADUATION RATE 3

VS

STATUS OF BLACK MEN AND47% BOyS

78%

“to address the plight of black men and boys, it’s imperative that philanthropy put forward solutions

WORK that address separate and unequal opportunities they face in all facets of life—education, housing, VS MEDIAN HOURLY health, structural employment, and disproportion in the criminal justice/foster care systems. the WAGES FOR lingering effects of slavery—poverty, classism, social neglect—have haunted too many generations FULL-TIME WORKERS 4 of black men and boys.” –Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, Former Chair, Twenty-First Century Foundation Black men earn only 71% of what white men earn.

$14.90

$20.84

EDUCATION
GRADUATION RATE 3

VS

47%
WORK
MEDIAN HOURLY WAGES FOR FULL-TIME WORKERS 4

78%

$14.90

VS

$20.84

Black men earn only 71% of what white men earn.

POVERTY
INCOME BELOW POVERTY THRESHOLD 5

VS

26%

9%

14%

tHE UNEMPLOYMENt RAtE FOR BLACK MEN, 20 YEARS AND OVER, IN JUNE 2012. 6

TWO DECADES OF pHILANTHROpIC SUppORT FOR BLACK MEN AND BOyS
1992
w.K. Kellogg Foundation launches African American Men and Boys Initiative, directed by Bobby Austin, to repair the breach between black males and the rest of U.S. society. Ford Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation develop fatherhood initiatives, which include a focus on African-American families. MacArthur Foundation awards “genius” grant to Bill Strickland, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries. w.K. Kellogg Foundation launches the Village Foundation, the first foundation focused solely on the needs of black boys and men. Led by Geoffrey Canada, Harlem Children’s Zone Project begins.

1994

1996

1997

2002

the University System of Georgia launches the African-American Male Initiative to promote the academic success of black males. Schott Foundation for Public Education begins its Black Boys Initiative to improve educational experiences of black boys. third world Press establishes the Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS). today, BMDS is housed at Arcadia University under the leadership of Dr. Doreen Loury. New York Times publishes front page story, “Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies warn,” based on Ronald Mincy’s book, Black Males Left Behind. Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) convenes members to discuss philanthropy’s response to the crisis. twenty-First Century Foundation develops the 2025 Network, a national network of advocates for black men and boys. Pipeline Crisis/winning Strategies Initiative created to mobilize private sector leadership, investments, and advocacy in support of social and economic equality for black males.

2003 2005 2006

2007

After Ford Foundation publishes Why We Can’t Wait, ABFE, Casey Family Programs, Ford, and Open Society host National Funders’ Dialogue on Black Males in Seattle to discuss grantmaking for black males.

Open Society Foundations launches the Campaign for Black Male Achievement. Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity publishes mapping report, funded by w.K. Kellogg Foundation, designed to expand scholarship on black males.

2009 2010

Black Male Donor Collaborative is launched in New York City. Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families launches Healthy Men, Healthy Communities to improve life outcomes of men and boys of color. California Endowment begins its 10-year Building Healthy Communities campaign, which includes a Boys of Color component. American Values Institute, Knight Foundation, and Open Society host the Black Male ReImagined conference to change media portrayals of black males. Frontline Solutions and twenty-First Century Foundation publish The State of Black Male Commissions: A Survey, documenting the work of black male commissions nationally.

2011

Soros and Bloomberg give $30 million each for black and Latino men in New York City. Opportunity Agenda releases Opportunity for Black Men and Boys: Public Opinion, Media Depictions, and Media Consumption. California Community Foundation launches BLOOM, a five-year, $5 million initiative which redirects black male youth involved with the L.A. County probation system. Michael Nutter and Mitch Landrieu launch Cities United to end violence-related deaths of black males. Partners include Casey Family Programs, Open Society, and Knight. Heinz Endowments’ African American Men and Boys task Force releases Portrayal and Perception: Two Audits of News Media Reporting on African American Men and Boys. Knight and Open Society launch Black Male Engagement Challenge to recognize the work of black men in Detroit and Philadelphia.

“For all of the well-founded criticisms of our field of philanthropy in funding communities of color, it has been inspiring for me to witness the emergence of strategic attention on the crisis of the young black male by a number of foundations across the nation. the crisis in young African-American males is viewed by many as too complicated, too thorny, and even intractable; but these are precisely the kinds of social challenges that philanthropy must dare to invest in.” -Dr. Robert K. Ross, President and CEO, The California Endowment

fOUNdATION fUNdINg
FOR BLACK MEN AND BOYS
In this section, we document foundation giving explicitly in support of black men and boys from 2003 to 2010, with a focus on 2008 to 2010. Funding patterns are examined by subject area, type of support, and geographic area served. In addition, grantmaking data are complemented by profiles of key initiatives within the field.

STEp 2: the Foundation Center codes grants based on the recipient organization’s mission and/or the grant description provided by the foundation. Each grant receives codes for the following categories: • Focus areas of the grant • Recipient type • Population group served • type of support provided • Geographic area served

there are currently 50 unique population group codes in the Foundation Center’s Grants Classification System covering gender, ethnic/racial minority status, age, socio-economic status, and sexual orientation, among other categories. Each grant can receive up to five population group codes. STEp 3: For this study, we looked for grants assigned a code for BLACK and MALE.
the grant description indicates black males are an intended beneficary the description suggests black males may be a beneficiary (grants for “men of color” or “at-risk boys”) About 50% of grant descriptions do not specify any population group

the recipient organization’s mission focuses on black males

Grant is coded as ExpLICITLy benefiting black males

Grant cannot be coded as explicitly benefiting black males.

No population group code is assigned.

However, it is likely that a substantial percentage of these grants IMpLICITLy benefit black men. Possible scenarios: (1) Grant does not serve a population group (e.g., grants for the animal welfare); (2) Grant benefits the general public; (3) Grant benefits a population group (most likely IMpLICITLy), but cannot be coded as such based on available information. Note: Geographic information alone is not used to code population groups.

STEp 4: to ensure that our data were as comprehensive and accurate as possible, the research team contacted the top 15 funders of black men and boys to confirm that all of their grants, both explicit and “implicit,” were captured and coded correctly for this study. (See appendix for details.)

A CLOSER LOOK: ExpLICIT AND IMpLICIT FUNDING
Data on grantmaking, which are provided by foundations to the Center through both direct reporting and IRS Forms 990-PF, are much more likely to capture funding explicitly designated for particular population groups, in this case black males, than to capture grantmaking that indirectly or implicitly benefits particular groups. to “count” a grant as benefiting a particular group, we look for whatever relevant coding a foundation may have provided with its grant information, evidence within the grant description itself, and the mission and activities of the grantee organization. this is a deliberately conservative methodology that makes no additional assumptions about likely beneficiaries beyond what can be directly determined from information that has been provided to the Center and through the Center’s own research on the mission and activities of recipient organizations. this methodology has been consistently applied by the Foundation Center for more than a decade, and all data reported by the Center on beneficiary population carries the disclaimer that the data “do not reflect all giving benefiting these groups.” 12 that said, a foundation may fairly argue that a grant awarded to an elementary school for after-school programming in a predominantly African-American neighborhood benefits black boys, given the demographic composition of the school and the community. this may indeed be the case, but because data on the specific “catchment” areas of recipient organizations are not uniformly available, it is not possible to apply this methodology across the entire spectrum of foundation grantmaking consistently.13 In addition, demographics can change over time and may or may not reflect the actual population group served. For these and other reasons explained below, this report focuses primarily on funding explicitly designated for black males. Data collection and coding issues aside, a number of grantmakers have argued that the distinction between grantmaking strategies that explicitly focus on race, ethnicity, or gender versus strategies that are broader in scope is an important one. For example, in the Ford Foundation-funded report, Momentum, the authors noted that “the majority of work that targets black males within philanthropy does not take place within the framework of a black males initiative or portfolio. At the same time, work that claims to serve black males but does not make a targeted effort to reach them often works well for every population but black males.” 14 Grantmakers interviewed for the GrantCraft guide, Grant Making with a Racial Equity Lens, argue that such an explicit focus can help maximize impact by sharpening the focus on outcomes, uncovering patterns of inequity, and helping to separate symptoms from causes. Because an explicit lens enables grantmakers to identify the particular challenges and systemic barriers faced by black males and direct resources toward targeted approaches that address those challenges and barriers, it can increase effectiveness at every stage of the grantmaking process, from information gathering to working with grantee organizations to evaluating impact. gRANTmAkeR SURveY In early 2012, Root Cause, a nonprofit research and strategy consulting firm, conducted a survey of grantmakers to explore the implications of the implicit/explicit distinction more fully. the following definitions were used in the survey:

Primary challenges to maintaining an explicit focus included: • Internal reluctance to call out black males explicitly versus broader issues such as race and poverty • High risk involved in investing in black males with limited resources • Lack of a long-term comprehensive and dedicated strategy and lack of a focus on substantive and enduring policies • Shortage of internal advocates while most surveyed funders recognized a link between their funding and black male achievement, a much smaller portion of funders are making that link explicit. this gap suggests opportunities for foundations with an implicit focus on black male achievement to potentially add a more explicit focus to their funding approach. LeAdeRSHIP ANd SUSTAINABILITY INSTITUTe these survey results are informing a larger national initiative, called the Leadership Sustainability Institute (LSI), to strengthen the black male achievement field. the LSI will develop a national membership network to ensure the growth, sustainability, and impact of leaders and organizations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors committed to improving the life outcomes and systemic change for black men and boys (www.leadershipandsustainabilityinstitute.com). the LSI plans to address these needs, as well as others, and is set to launch in fall 2012.

LeveRAgINg ImPLICIT STRATegIeS Grantmaking explicitly designated for black males accounted for 0.1 percent of total foundation funding. Factoring in a portion of grants intended to benefit ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged males could raise this figure to about 0.2 percent of overall foundation grantmaking. Examples of high-leverage “implicit” strategies that may also benefit black men and boys include initiatives focused

on responsible fatherhood, prisoner re-entry, criminal justice reform, electoral reform, and job training and placement. For example, given the disproportionate number of black men involved in the criminal justice system, it is probable that grants designed to support formerly incarcerated males are benefiting black men. Similarly, high rates of disenfranchisement among black men mean that electoral reform efforts are in large part supporting black men.

ABOUT THe fOUNdATION CeNTeR gRANTS SAmPLe
The tables and figures presented in this report are based on the Foundation Center’s annual grants sets. Each set includes all of the grants of $10,000 or more awarded to organizations by over 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations, including the top 15 funders in most states. It accounts for more than half of the total grant dollars awarded by the universe of independent, corporate, community, and grantmaking operating foundations in that year. Tables and figures represent only grants awarded to recipient organizations that could be identified as serving black males or grants whose descriptions specified a benefit for black males. These figures do not represent all giving benefiting black males. See appendix for a more detailed description of the methodoloy.

of grant dollars supported specific programs and projects. of grant dollars supported specific programs and projects. of grant dollars went to general support. of grant dollars went to general support.

50% 50% 20% 20%
4%

of grant dollars were distributed to educational institutions. of grant dollars were distributed to educational institutions. of grant dollars went to human service organizations. of grant dollars went to human service organizations.

SNApSHOTS OF INNOvATION IN THE FIELD
pHILANTHROpy the Foundation Center’s database shows that between 2008 and 2010, the 100 Black Men of America and its affiliated chapters received more than $5 million in foundation funding, much of which has gone toward supporting local mentoring, education, and economic empowerment programs. For example, the 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta received a $50,000 grant from the At&t Foundation in 2009 for Men of tomorrow, a mentoring/tutoring program to help at-risk, teenaged males improve their math and reading scores, acquire technology-related skills, and prepare for the SAt or ACt. In addition, grant awards have supported scholarships and “re-granting” of dollars for small, community projects.

Philanthropic Contributions by Black Men
while this report focuses on philanthropic support for the needs facing black males, it is also important to recognize the contributions black men themselves are making to philanthropy. the w.K. Kellogg Foundation’s recent report, Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color, documents the growing trend of identity-based giving and the diverse and innovative ways that communities of color are pooling together their resources to give back to their communities. Consider North Carolina-based A Legacy of tradition (ALOt). ALOt started in 2006, the result of conversations at a local barbershop. the African-American men who frequent the barbershop, along with the barber, decided to begin contributing to a giving circle focused on supporting black boys in the community. the group consists of both professional and working class men and has made small grants to local organizations totaling more than $30,000. Perhaps most prominently, the 100 Black Men of America is an organization of AfricanAmerican men whose goal is to improve the quality of life of African Americans through their collective resources, abilities, and experiences. the concept began in 1963 in New York, when a group of concerned black men from different walks of life began meeting to explore ways of improving conditions in their community. today, there are over 100 chapters throughout the country and more than 10,000 members.

LEADERSHIp

Black Male Engagement
the BME Challenge, a project of the Knight Foundation and Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement, recognizes black men in Detroit and Philadelphia who are stepping up to lead their communities. Over 2,000 men shared video and written testimonials about how they are engaging their communities (they can be viewed at www.bmechallenge.org). Of these, 20 men were selected to receive the BME Leadership Award, which honors and accelerates their work. Funding totaled $443,000 and helps veterans find services, gives new fathers parenting skills, and provides therapy for autistic children, among other things. “there are thousands of black men in these cities who choose to make it a stronger and better place to live for all of us,” declares trabian Shorters, Vice President of
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Communities and a leader behind the BME Challenge. “Perhaps if we tell their stories and others decide to support their efforts, you will see more and more black men and boys willing to follow their example.”

SOCIAL ENTREpRENEURSHIp

Open Society Black Male Achievement Fellowship
In 2012, the Open Society Foundations and Echoing Green awarded the Black Male Achievement Fellowship to nine social entrepreneurs dedicated to improving life outcomes of black men and boys in the U.S. Modeled after Echoing Green’s flagship program, the inaugural BMA Fellowship identifies and supports the most promising, innovative nonprofit ventures—ranging from creating jobs for black men in clean energy technology to harnessing the power of the NBA to improve math literacy among black male students. Each fellow will receive $70,000 in startup capital for his or her innovative nonprofit, as well as support through trainings, consulting opportunities, and mentorship. “we want to use the fellowship to support individuals who don’t just see problems but think big and bold and see possibilities,” states Open Society Foundations’ Rashid Shabazz, program officer of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement. “we also want the fellowship to further projects and ideas that take risks, disrupting the way we think and approach problems currently.” Find out more at www.echoinggreen.org/ bma-fellowship.

EDUCATION

Call Me MIStER
Since its inception in 2000, the Call Me MIStER program has increased the number of black male teachers in South Carolina’s public elementary schools by 40 percent. Created to increase the diversity of public school teachers, the program has expanded to 14 colleges in South Carolina and to seven additional states—most recently, Mississippi. In May 2012, a $200,000 grant from the w.K. Kellogg Foundation established a collaboration between Call Me MIStER and Jackson State University. MIStER stands for Mentors Instructing Students toward Effective Role Models. the program offers tuition assistance, as well as academic and social support, to young men who want to use their lives to change the lives of other black males. “Misters are about so much more than teaching the curriculum,” according to Roy Jones, Director of Call Me MIStER. “we also are about being mentors, positive role models, and community leaders. to be called ‘Mister,’ it takes more than being a grown-up male. A Mister must earn the title.” 15 Learn more at www.callmemister.clemson. edu.

Heinz Endowments: An Approach Rooted in Community
Since 2007, the Heinz Endowments has invested in programs to improve opportunities and outcomes for black males through its African American Men and Boys Initiative. As a regional grantmaker, the Endowments funds and evaluates interventions in the Pittsburgh area that, if effective, can be scaled and replicated nationally. the Endowments created the initiative as a result of a strategic planning process, which coincided with growing concern in the community following a series of headlinegrabbing homicides involving black males. A cross-programmatic team from the Endowments talked with local and national experts and held a series of community focus groups. through these conversations, the Endowments solidified the initiative’s priorities, focusing on four key areas: economic opportunity; education; identity, gender, and character development; and communications. Monitoring progress is important to the initiative; hence, evaluation is an integral part of the design. the initiative began with strong community input, and those involved continue to maintain close ties through a communitybased advisory board. the board consists of a wide range of stakeholders and helps review proposals, set priorities, and, in general, guide the strategic direction of the Endowments’ work in this area.

“we’re trying to be particularly sensitive to community direction and be flexible while being strategic at the same time,” says Carmen Anderson, chair of the African American Men and Boys Initiative task Force and senior program officer for Children, Youth, and Families at the Endowments. “If there is something we learn or something the community insists is critical, how can we be responsive? the advisory board is one vehicle that we use to try to be sensitive to that.” In particular, community members identified the critical need to address issues of black male identity and image. In response, the Endowments commissioned two studies examining how Pittsburgh newspapers and television newscasts covered black males. In a report released in November 2011, Portrayal and Perception: Two Audits of News Media Reporting on African American Men and Boys, both analyses concluded that an inordinate amount of media coverage of black men and boys focused on crime. Scholars, experts, and news executives gathered at an all-day summit to call for broader coverage of black males and more opportunities for them to tell their own stories. In support of this goal, the Endowments additionally funded four documentaries highlighting individuals and organizations in the Pittsburgh region that are challenging common media images of black males. One episode profiles local AfricanAmerican entrepreneurs who are not only experiencing financial success but also inspiring future business leaders; another spotlights the Afro-American Music Institute, which teaches music and fosters pride and community responsibility. the local public television station broadcast the documentary series, kicking it off with a panel discussion on its weekly multicultural program, “Horizons.”
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Mentor relationships are an important part of many African American Men and Boys programs. Above, Demond Jackson, of Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, is enjoying an opportunity to spend quality time with his mentor, Kyle Henderson, of Beechview. Photo: Steve Mellon

Because of the Endowments’ commitment to creating successful and replicable models of intervention, it is currently working with the RAND Corporation to evaluate the initiative. It plans to share lessons learned in 2013. the Heinz Endowments has a long-term commitment to the work—it is embedded into many of the Endowments’ grantmaking areas. For Anderson, the sense of urgency is clear, “Young men are losing their lives. that alone must stop. And if the Endowments can be a vehicle to make that happen, then we’ll do what we can not only to help save their lives, but also to make the quality of their lives better. Ultimately, we would hope that these same young men can thrive and enjoy a level of prosperity and well-being.”

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CHAPtER 2

02

Helping Young Black Men BLOOM in Los Angeles County
BLOOM is the only major philanthropic initiative specifically focused on black male youth involved in the delinquency system. A five-year, $5 million project led by the California Community Foundation (CCF), BLOOM is Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Men—specifically, young black men in South L.A. who are or have been involved in the Los Angeles County probation system. BLOOM’s goal is to reduce the number of black male youth under probation supervision by at least 10 percent over the next five years— approximately 480 youth. It will accomplish this through community organizing, careerbased mentoring, reshaping public perception, and strengthening organizational competencies and skill sets. the cost to house a youth in a Los Angeles County probation camp is approximately $100,000 per year. If successful, the initiative will save taxpayers nearly $50 million, not including revenues generated when these young men are employed. the initiative could not be timelier. BLOOM’s launch coincided with the 20th anniversary of L.A.’s civil unrest. It also followed the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court order mandating California to reduce its inmate population drastically by the year 2013. For the first time, state and local governments are being forced to reassess how they manage offenders and may be more amenable to shifting from the “lockup” strategy of the past toward alternative approaches to justice.

CCF’s prescient decision to target black male youth who have had contact with the delinquency system was made based on thorough research, planning, and community engagement. the two-year process began with six months of research. CCF visited the Heinz Endowments to draw lessons from its African American Men and Boys Initiative. the Foundation also commissioned the RAND Corporation to examine outcomes for boys and men of color in Los Angeles County in six areas. the report concluded that African Americans fare worse than other people of color, particularly in the areas of economic well-being and involvement with the child welfare and justice systems. Following the research phase, CCF held a series of community conversations with more than 80 diverse stakeholders. the Foundation drew two key lessons from these gatherings. the first was that the predominant concern for stakeholders was the mass incarceration of young black men. the second was the lack of positive male influences in the lives
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of young men. In a conversation with a group of 15 boys at a probation camp, when asked if they had a positive adult male role model in their lives, all of them said no. the foundation took these lessons to an advisory committee of 15 prominent Los Angeles leaders. At an all-day retreat, the committee discussed options for areas in which to invest. the choices narrowed down to either college preparation for middle school students or re-entry for incarcerated young adults. Following spirited dialogue and three rounds of voting, a final vote resulted in the committee choosing to focus on re-entry for incarcerated young black men. CCF adjusted the focus slightly by deciding to work with youth ages 14-18 involved in the probation system. Robert Lewis, BLOOM Initiative Director, explains the compelling reasons for the decision: “By sheer volume, there are more young black men involved with the justice system than in college.

Our committee thought, ‘what does that mean for the greater volume of young men that don’t go that route and end up involved with the system? Do we just continue to let them fall through the cracks and ignore what is an obvious issue?’ I think we just seized the opportunity to be bold.” BLOOM recently began implementation, selecting community organizations with which to partner. It has also chosen an evaluator to assess outcomes and to provide feedback that will allow them to make mid-course adjustments if necessary. Knowing that meaningful impact is limited in a fiveyear timeframe, Lewis says their vision is to extend beyond five years. In order for that to happen, it is critical for them to substantiate outcomes.

“

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there are around one in four black men who will have a brush with the law in their lifetime, as opposed to one in ten graduating from college. Yet over the last 20 years, philanthropic support specifically focused on young black men and boys has been on education.

whether you’re volunteering with one of our partners, joining a community organizing campaign, making a financial contribution, providing an apprenticeship or a job... there’s something all of us can do.

-Robert Lewis, BLOOM Initiative Director

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-Robert Lewis, BLOOM Initiative Director

CCF is the driving force behind BLOOM, but it is actively seeking partners. CCF will invest half of the $5 million initiative—$500,000 a year for five years. It is securing matches from other foundations for the remaining amount. Corporations and businesses are also being engaged to provide jobs, internships, and apprenticeships. Actor and activist Larenz tate is BLOOM’s celebrity spokesperson. tate has a critical

role in increasing the visibility of BLOOM and raising public consciousness around the urgent need to support black male youth and the benefits of doing so for not only youth, but the community at large. On May 2, 2012, BLOOM held a town hall to galvanize the community to action. “whether you’re volunteering with one of our partners, joining a community organizing campaign, making a financial contribution, providing an apprenticeship or a job, whatever it may be, there’s something all of us can do,” encourages Lewis. “we’re hoping that BLOOM will be a catalyst for a movement, not only here in L.A. but across the country.”

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Luis Chavez speaks about his experiences with the Young Adult Literacy Program at the Bronx Public Library where Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the first component of the Young Men’s Initiative. Photo: Emily Canal

Public-Private Partnerships: New York City’s Young Men’s Initiative
New York City’s Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) is one of the largest city-foundation partnerships in the country, tackling the broad disparities that hinder the advancement of black and Latino young men. Launched by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in August 2011, this public-private partnership will invest $43 million annually in programs that will connect young men to educational, employment, and mentoring opportunities in partnership with more than a dozen city agencies. For three years, almost half of the funds will come from philanthropic contributions—$30 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies and $30 million from the Open Society Foundations. the remainder will be supported by public funds, a commitment which continues beyond three years.

YMI targets the areas of greatest disparity for these young men: education, employment, health, and justice. the focus of the work is not only in improving outcomes but also in closing the achievement gap between black and Latino men and their peers. For example, since 2005, the city reports that the percentage of male graduates who are college and career ready has increased and chronic absence has decreased. However, disparities remain between black and Latino males and their peers. YMI’s goal is to reduce that disparity significantly. this publicly administered initiative will adopt new measures that hold schools accountable for the academic progress of black and Latino youth, offer paid internships tied to attendance in remedial math and literacy classes, establish job-recruitment centers in public-housing complexes, and restructure the Department of Probation, opening five satellite offices in neighborhoods with large populations of at-risk youth. YMI also introduces broad policy changes, which have the potential to be more enduring.
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In a comprehensive effort to transform the way the government interacts with young black and Latino men, YMI engages relevant City agencies in each of the priority areas. the heads of 15 City agencies meet with the Mayor on a monthly basis to report on progress. As a public-private partnership, YMI invests City funds in proven programs while philanthropic funds support new pilot programs. Open Society Foundations is primarily funding a program to increase college readiness rates for black and Latino male students at targeted schools. the Bloomberg Philanthropies grant supports initiatives to reform juvenile and criminal justice systems. As foundation-funded programs are proven to have an impact, they can be replicated or expanded with City dollars. “Foundations coming together to tackle some of society’s toughest challenges is certainly the wave of the future. I think [YMI] is a great example of that,” declared Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the press conference announcing the initiative. “this can be a game-changer. we can take ourselves to a new level and maybe the impact of what we do will be copied in other cities.”

Detroit was the fourth most populous city in the country, but from 2000 to 2010, the population decreased by 25 percent. Currently, the city is in financial trouble and has entered into an agreement with the state to prevent a financial takeover. with an 83 percent African-American population, the outcomes for black boys are also troubling: the estimated graduation rate for black males is about 27 percent, substantially lower than the abysmal national rate of 47 percent for black males. “Save our boys.” this was the message the Skillman Foundation heard clearly from the Detroit community as they began planning their neighborhood-based work. Skillman Foundation is a regional foundation that has been serving children in Detroit for over 50 years. Its core strategies are education reform and neighborhood transformation. In planning its work with black boys, as well as a growing population of Latino boys, the Skillman Foundation made a decision not to create a distinct initiative; instead, its commitment is embedded in its overall grantmaking strategy.

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Skillman Foundation’s work with Black Boys: “A Fundamental Part of the way we Operate”
Detroit was once the center of American industrial and economic power. Home to the Big three automobile companies and the center of Motown music, the city dubbed itself the Paris of the Midwest. In its heyday,
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Our goal was not to do something highly specialized around this that would start and go away. Rather, we wanted to make sure that it was embedded in our grantmaking for the long haul.
-tonya Allen, Vice President of Programs & Chief Operating Officer of Skillman Foundation

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“we felt that the best thing we could do for boys in our community was to make sure that the organizations who are supposed to serve them actually do. we have put
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Detroit’s city motto is: “we hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.” Skillman Foundation and numerous community leaders and practitioners are working to make that hope a reality for young men of color in Detroit. “I’m tired of talking about, and most people are tired of hearing about, what the challenges are,” says Robert thornton, Program Officer at the Skillman Foundation. “we want to talk about what the opportunities are, what the possible solutions are, and how we begin to turn that into a reality. there are so many good things happening. we have to get focused on telling that story.”

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Mitchell Kapor Foundation: Small Funders Can Make a Big Impact
Mitchell Kapor Foundation’s interest in working with young black men in the San Francisco Bay Area began in 2004 when the Foundation noticed a disturbing trend: the dearth of black male applicants to educational programs run by its sister organization, the Level Playing Field Institute. Around that time, a series of shootings of young black men, among them a college-bound high school student, made headlines. “we saw the news about his death and the other shootings and said that there’s a connection between the street violence and the fact that there are so few AfricanAmerican young men in our college-bound pipeline,” explains Cedric Brown, CEO of Mitchell Kapor Foundation. “we asked, what are we, as an organization concerned with students of color, going to do about that?”

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they formed what is now called the College Bound Brotherhood, with the goal of increasing the number of college-ready black male youth in public schools. the initiative has three components: 1) grantmaking in the area of college readiness with young black men; 2) a database, accessible by anyone, listing Bay Area programs that address college readiness among black male students; and 3) two annual events, a conference to educate young black men and their families about college and a ceremony for any graduating black male student in the Bay Area attending college in the fall. Like all grantmakers, Mitchell Kapor Foundation had to be selective in its funding strategy.

we have had to be really specific about what we support and expect. Looking at all the complexity, we have always been driven by the question: ‘what slice of this can we take that will have an impact?’
-Cedric Brown, CEO of Mitchell Kapor Foundation

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with the community, and develop local expertise. Mitchell Kapor Foundation’s model provides seed funding for initial work, with the goal of leveraging its support and name so that other funders can join in the work. this is critical given that many of the Foundation’s grantee partners, particularly those that are black community-focused and led, have a difficult time getting support from more traditional philanthropic institutions. this is one way that Mitchell Kapor Foundation, as a small, local funder, can support grassroots organizations and impact the sector. Brown emphasizes that smaller foundations have a role to play in the broader work of lifting up black men and boys. “there need to be entry points for foundation players of all sizes. we provide an example of how a smaller funder can make a contribution that taps into a bigger tapestry of work that is happening nationally. we can still do something of value at the local level.”

“Regardless of what life-outcomes indicator you look at, the chances are that black males in this country are at the bottom. the causes for this tragic picture are deeply entangled in our country’s political and social history, but there has been some spectacular if sporadic progress - and there is definitely hope for the future. Changing the odds for black boys, however, will not happen easily or quickly. the solutions will have to be as durable and complex as the problems they are addressing: from the psychological effects of broken families to the curse of failing schools to the insidious influence of a toxic popular culture that glorifies self-destructive behavior. we need to work intelligently, guided by data, always driven by our passion and commitment. we can do it, we must do it and we will do it.” CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone -Geoffrey Canada, President and

community and institutional supports for black men, as evidenced by the powerful stories shared via the Knight Foundation Black Male Engagement Initiative. Likewise, the first-ever Echoing Green Fellowships focused on black male achievement support a cohort of social entrepreneurs bringing innovative approaches to improving the life outcomes of black men. In an era of limited resources, funders realize that while more dollars need to be leveraged to elevate the status of black men and boys, their work must also be more coordinated and strategic to achieve maximum impact. to that end, Open Society Foundations has commissioned the Foundation Center to create a web portal that will house tools, resources, and a funding map to give grantmakers the data and information they need to make strides in promoting black male achievement. Moreover, as data and information become more widely accessible to the field, the quality of the data will begin to improve, as the benefit of better reporting becomes apparent. the more funders know about who is doing what and how they are doing it, the more opportunities there will be for true collaboration and sharing, and ultimately greater effectiveness. BMAfunders.org will be launched in 2013.
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working I remained skeptical that we would be able to have a measurable positive impact on this problem. I established a local foundation in Baltimore in 1998 and launched other efforts to support programs across the United States. we established a Campaign for Black Male Achievement to work in conjunction with other initiatives to increase the number and effectiveness of education programs for young men of color, in order to open pathways to challenging, fulfilling jobs and to strengthen minority families devastated by the systemic and unjust removal of so many men—and women—from their midst. On a visit to Baltimore some ten years ago, I was shocked to learn about the “school to prison pipeline”—the conduit that, too often for minor disciplinary infractions, transports young people from classrooms and delivers them almost ineluctably into detention and imprisonment. School officials across the country have fed young people into this pipeline. So driven were they to meet the success criteria established in No Child Left Behind and other government-mandated programs, these administrators resorted to suspending and expelling droves of young people who acted up, removing them from school—the safest place in their world, the place with more potential to do them more good than anywhere else—rather than creating and implementing costeffective programs to keep these at-risk kids in classrooms with qualified teachers and effective curricula. Huge numbers of the suspended and expelled young people, many left at home with no daytime parental supervision, found themselves swept into the drug culture, into gun violence, and, in too many instances, into the adult criminal justice system.

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Statistics gradually began to show positive results for our close public-private cooperation with school administrators and city and state officials. In Baltimore, for example, graduation rates have improved at inner-city public high schools, and it is the African American boys who have shown the greatest gains. I decided that the benefits of the programs I was supporting were significant enough to justify continuing my philanthropic effort in Baltimore indefinitely, but only if my contributions were matched by other philanthropists, and especially local people and foundations. Now donors in and around Baltimore are actively engaged in the work we helped initiate. today, Baltimore has a time-tested local foundation that the city rightfully can call its own. Encouraged by our success in Baltimore and the impressions this success has made elsewhere, I intend to make a city-based approach one of the cornerstones of my philanthropic efforts in the United States. the Open Society Foundations and I look forward to initiating and nurturing similar public-private partnerships across the country. we aim to continue learning from our mistakes, to propagate successful models, and to continue for years to come to help expand the environment in which African American men and boys can realize their true potential, so that they can become full partners in an open society for which their voice is essential. It is my hope that this report will motivate other philanthropists and foundations to invest in efforts to improve achievement by African American boys and men and reverse the serious damage inflicted over many years of systemic injustice. this is a generational problem. It demands a longterm commitment.

Because grant descriptions provided by foundations on tax forms are sometimes incomplete or vague and thus do not allow for accurate coding, we also contacted the top 15 grantmakers involved in supporting black males to verify the accuracy of their data. Our initial analysis showed that these 15 grantmakers had made 149 grants explicitly designated for black males, totaling $31.7 million, or about 60 percent of all grantmaking initially identified as supporting black men and boys. In our outreach, we asked these grantmakers to do three things: 1) verify that grants coded as explicitly designated for black men and boys were in fact designated for black males, 2) review grants coded as benefiting ethnic minority males (unspecified) and indicate whether or not black males were an intended beneficiary group, and 3) note any grants explicitly designated for black males that did not appear in the initial data run. through this outreach, we found that all of the grants initially coded as explicitly designated for black men and boys were coded correctly. In addition, of the 96 grants originally coded as benefiting ethnic minority males (totaling $13.1 million), 36 were re-coded as explicitly designated for black males (totaling $5.8 million). Foundations also provided additional information on 110 grants (totaling $17 million) that were not initially coded in our database as explicitly targeting either black or ethnic minority males. Based on the new information provided by foundations, the total giving of the top 15 funders in the dataset increased from $31.7 million to $54.5 million. As a result of these additional outreach efforts to the top 15 foundations, the overall total of grant dollars identified as explicitly designated to reach black males increased from $52.9 million to $75.7 million. Likewise, the share of these dollars accounted for by the top 15 foundations in the final data set rose from 60 to 72 percent.

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ENDNOTES
Barbaro, Michael and Fernanda Santos, “Bloomberg to Use Own Funds in Plan to Aid Minority Youth,” New York Times, August 3, 2011, accessed July 23, 2012, http://www.nytimes. com/2011/08/04/nyregion/new-york-plan-will-aim-to-liftminority-youth.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all?src=tp.
1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Number 37, Mortality Among Teenagers Aged 12-19 Years: United States, 1999-2006, May 2010, http:// www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db37.htm.
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two previous studies have examined foundation support for black males. In 2008, the Association of Black Foundation Executives published Cultivating Change: A Statistical Review of Grantmaking That Impacts the Lives of Black Men and Boys, based on survey results from 24 foundations. In 2010, tia Martinez, Susan Colby, and Lisa Quay published a book chapter, “Minding the Gap: Strategic Philanthropy and the Crisis among Black Young Men and Boys,” which used data collected by the Foundation Center to conduct an analysis of the top 50 foundations. the current study uses the Foundation Center’s annual research set of more than 1,000 of the nation’s largest foundations, representing approximately half of all grantmaking by U.S. foundations.
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Pew Research Center, A Tale of Two Fathers, http:// pewresearch.org/pubs/2026/survey-role-of-fathersfatherhood-american-family-living-apart-from-children.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, HIV in the United States: At a Glance, accessed July 23, 2012, http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/ resources/factsheets/us.htm.
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See, for example, Foundation Giving Trends 2011, 32.

Schott Foundation for Public Education, Yes We Can: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, 2010, August 2010, http://blackboysreport.org/ bbreport.pdf.
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Several research studies have attempted to generate better estimates of giving benefiting particular population groups through more in-depth analysis of demographic information. these studies include the Foundation Center’s Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California’s Communities of Color (2008) and Grantmaking to Communities of Color in Oregon (2010). In addition, Broad Benefits: Health-Related Giving by Private and Community Foundation (2009) by Phillip L. Swagel uses data from the Foundation Center to examine a sample of health-related grants not coded as benefiting minorities, the economically disadvantaged, or other underserved groups to assess the extent to which they do, in fact, provide benefits to these groups.
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